Curse of Eternity
by YoursAlways
Summary: Sole guardian of a tiny world, Kagome spends her days traveling her world that has been reformed by the spread of magic. When she comes to the town of Magnolia, she meets some new friends and realizes that maybe she wasn't as content with her life as she thought.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own neither Fairy Tail nor Inuyasha and make no money from these writings.

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Curse of Eternity

Chapter One

Noise flooded into the streets of Magnolia as the doors to Fairy Tail's guild hall opened. The first person to exit was Lucy since she was doing her best to get away from her male teammates. She loved her team dearly, but there were days that she wanted to throttle certain members. She, Natsu, Gray, and Erza had returned from their latest job a few hours prior and had stopped by the guild hall to report in to Makarov.

The job had actually gone smoothly for once, though the payout split four ways was just enough for her to cover rent. The annoying part had come on their return trip. Natsu and Gray had started bickering over something stupid on the train ride back to Magnolia and had been at each other's throats ever since. Erza had been able to curb some of the violence between the two, but the boys had still managed to give Lucy a headache. And the summer heat certainly wasn't helping her mood since it left her feeling sticky and gross.

As soon as the quartet were all outside, the bickering started up once again. "That's it!" Lucy shouted as she threw her hands up in the air. "I have _had it_ with you two fighting. Do you even remember what you're fighting about? Because I don't!"

"Whoa, Lucy," Natsu said a little taken back by her outburst. "Calm down. We were just playing around."

"Yeah, can't you tell the difference by now?" Gray added.

"You really shouldn't be so serious, Lucy," Happy called down from where he was circling above their heads. "You might get even more wrinkles than you already have."

Lucy was about to rail at the flying cat when she felt a firm but gentle hand on her shoulder. Looking back, she saw Erza's knowing smile. Though the slightly older girl had her eccentricities, she was easily the most level-headed of their team. So, taking a deep breath, Lucy let go of her temper and decided not to rise to Happy's taunt. Smiling back at Erza, Lucy nodded in appreciation before speaking again. "Look," she started. "I'm beat, and I'm sure you guys are, too. I'm gonna go home, take a bath, and relax a little. Are we still meeting back here later for dinner?"

"We're still on board," Natsu grinned as Happy landed in his pink hair.

Gray and Erza also gave the affirmative, and Lucy smiled. "Great! So I'll see you guys in a few hours," she said with a wave as she turned on her heel to leave. After only a few steps a thought occurred to her and she turned back around to yell after her team members. "And you guys better go back to your own places! No sneaking into my apartment! Do you hear me?!"

When she only got a few half-hearted waves in response, Lucy decided not to hold her breath on the guarantee of some alone time. The walk back to her apartment was quiet, and she enjoyed listening to the lazy flow of the river as she walked along the sidewall. She had her usual exchange with the men who used the river to transport their wares, and she mused on how it was nice when some things remained the same even after years passed. No longer was she Lucy, the guild's new, eighteen-year-old, budding wizard. She was Lucy Heartfilia, Fairy Tail veteran in the prime of her magic and life at a mature twenty-five years of age.

Head high with self-praise, Lucy strutted right up to her front door and sashayed inside, intent on a nice, relaxing bath.

As several hours passed and Lucy was able to bathe, dress, and primp in peace, she was honestly shocked when she left her home again without having to deal with even a single intruder. The day had been hot, but the air cooled nicely as the sun set. Stepping up on the river's sidewall, Lucy heard her stomach growl slightly and was glad that none of her teammates were around to tease her about it. It was only then that she realized that she had skipped lunch. With a slightly quicker pace than she usually took, she made her way towards the guild hall.

A few blocks from her destination, Lucy encountered her river-traveling friends and waved as they called out their usual playful warning. The boat passed by her, and she didn't think anymore of the warning than she usually did. At least, she didn't think about it until she stepped on a loose paving stone in the wall. It almost seemed to happen in slow motion. The stone shifted and in an attempt to reclaim her balance, Lucy over-corrected and felt her weight shift towards the water on her left.

She almost completely missed a yell from the other side of the river as she cried out and braced herself for the plunge. Only instead of the wet river, Lucy landed hard on her butt on a hard surface. Slowly opening her eyes, she ran her hands over what she was sitting on and quickly realized that it was a solid sheet of ice. _'Gray?'_ Was her first thought, but it was quickly dismissed when a feminine voice called out to her.

"Are you okay?" The voice asked, and Lucy looked up to see the owner jumping down from the wall in the other side of the river.

It was a young woman. Though, Lucy thought, with black hair and blue eyes, the woman did hold a slight resemblance to the ice-make wizard she had initially thought was her savior. "Are you okay?" The young woman repeated as she trotted across a narrow strip of ice connecting the two sides of the river. "I know that ice isn't the softest surface to land on, but it seemed better than a dunk in the water," she explained as she extended a hand to help Lucy stand again.

"I'm fine," Lucy answered as she took the offered hand and righted herself. She slipped a little on the ice, but eventually found her footing and said, "Thanks for coming to the rescue. I'm on my way to meet my friends, so you saved me from having to go home and change!"

"Well, it's a really cute outfit, so it would have been a shame to ruin it," the woman complimented with a smile.

Smiling as she smoothed down her skirt once more, Lucy extended get hand and introduced, "I'm Lucy. And you are?"

"Kagome," the woman returned as she shook Lucy's hand. "So," she began as she looked at the height difference between the ice they stood on and the top of the sidewall. "How are we going to get out of the river?"

Lucy leaned out and looked a little ways down the river before she pointed to what she'd been looking for. "There are some steps leading from the water up to the street down that way. I think the boat men use them to unload stuff."

"Great!" Kagome said with a smile. "Just follow me and stick close. The ice will start to melt the further I get from it."

Lucy nodded and the two women walked on top of the river, sticking close to the wall. As they walked, Lucy noticed something odd. Gray used two hands to cast his maker magic, and Lyon was able to use just one hand if he wanted. But the woman in front of her, Kagome, didn't seem to use her hands at all. There were no spells or motions or anything else to indicate the use of magic. She just walked normally and the ice appeared under her feet. _'I don't think I've ever seen magic like that,'_ Lucy thought as they reached the steps and Kagome let her step off of the ice first.

"Thanks again," Lucy said as Kagome stepped off of the ice. Glancing back down the river, she saw that the ice stretching across the river was starting to break up and float away. "So are you a wizard who's just passing through town, or are you looking to join the guild?"

"Um, I guess it's mostly the first one," Kagome answered as she started up the steps towards the street. "But I don't belong to another guild or anything. I just travel around."

Lucy was surprised. "You don't belong to a guild?" She asked as she joined Kagome back on the street. "You obviously use magic, so how do you make money? You would need to be part of a guild to take jobs."

"Odd jobs, mostly," Kagome shrugged. "Things like working in little shops, waiting tables, and the occasional courier job."

Looking her rescuer over, Lucy tried to get a feel for who the woman was. She was fairly petite; no taller than five-two or five-three with a lithe frame to match. Lucy thought that Kagome might be around her age, possibly a little younger, but it was difficult to tell. Ever the fashionista deep at heart, she cocked her head a little at the clothes that Kagome wore. The outermost layer was a white…dress? Coat? Whatever it was, it was sleeveless and ended around her ankles. It had slits up the front for easy movement and a zipper that went from the neck to the top of one slit. But underneath that, Kagome wore what seemed to be a skin-tight body suit. It had a high neck, sleeves that ended at the elbows and legs that ended at the knees. With simple sandals and a red sash tied around her hips, Lucy found the overall look a little utilitarian, but it seemed to work for the small woman.

"Well," Kagome began. "Since you seem to be okay now, I'll get going. Be careful out there!"

"Wait," Lucy called as she reached out to grab Kagome's wrist before she could walk away. It was when something poked her palm sharply that she looked down to where she held onto Kagome. Wound around the woman's wrist was what looked like a necklace. The length was decorated with small beads that almost looked like teeth, and a pink sphere the size of a large marble hung against the inside of her wrist. Looking back up at Kagome, Lucy continued, "I want to thank you."

"That's really not necessary," Kagome tried to wave off a little awkwardly. "I didn't help you looking to get something in return."

"Still," Lucy told her with a sense of finality. "I'm meeting my friends for dinner. You should come, too. My treat."

"I don't know," Kagome hesitated as she watched Lucy's eager expression.

Lucy was just opening her mouth to encourage Kagome to accept her offer when she felt something brush lightly against her ankle and screamed. Jerking away and looking down, Lucy was met with the sight of a small cream-colored cat winding its way between her legs.

"Kirara!" Kagome cried. "I was wondering where you went," she said as she crouched down and opened her arms. When Kirara leapt into her hold, Kagome straightened and smiled at Lucy. "Sorry," she apologized. "She likes meeting new people."

Lucy watched the small cat in Kagome's arms. She was sure that the two swaying tails would have been a little more startling if she didn't regularly spend time around a flying cat that could also fly. Happy had somewhat put her off concerning cats, but as soon as Kirara gave a happy little mewl, Lucy melted. "She's so cute!"

"Yeah," Kagome laughed. "She is pretty cute like this."

"You should both come to the guild for dinner," Lucy stressed. "They keep lots of fresh fish around since several of our members have cat partners."

Looking down to Kirara, Kagome felt herself start to cave. Kirara's eyes were lit with excitement, and Kagome felt a little guilty. They hadn't had the best luck with fishing in the lakes around the area, so she and Kirara had been settling for whatever they could round up. Kirara mewled again as her tails twitched in anticipation for Kagome's answer to Lucy's invitation.

"I guess it's two against one," Kagome sighed. "Lead the way."

"Great!" Lucy cheered as she took hold of Kagome's elbow and tugged her along. "You'll love it there, I promise," she said as they continued to walk.

"What guild did you say you belonged to?" Kagome asked as Kirara climbed up onto her shoulder.

"Oh, I don't think I've told you yet, have I?" Lucy laughed. Holding up her right hand to show off her guild mark, she answered, "I'm a member of Fairy Tail!"

"Fairy Tail, huh?" Kagome questioned. She'd heard a lot about the guild. There were always rumors floating around concerning them.

"Mmhmm," Lucy hummed with a happy nod. No matter how much trouble her guild caused, she loved them all and was proud to be part of them.

"Out of all the guilds, why did you decide to join that one?" Kagome asked curiously.

"Well," Lucy paused and put a finger to her chin as she thought about her answer. They were just in sight of the guild when a large crash could be heard from inside followed by some shouting. Lucy began to laugh at her guildmates, knowing the commotion that must be going on inside the building. "It's a one-of-a-kind guild," she finally answered. When Kagome raised an eyebrow at her answer, she increased their pace and said, "You'll see when we get there."

Kagome's eyes widened when they finally stepped through the guild hall's doors. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but it wasn't the rowdy scene that they'd walked in on. The large room was filled with people who were drinking and laughing and even a few who seemed to be fighting. "Welcome to Fairy Tail," Lucy said with a bright smile before continuing to pull Kagome inside.

Looking around nervously, Kagome tried taking deep breaths. It had been a while since she'd been in such a crowded area. "Lucy!" She heard a voice call from off to their right. She looked in the direction that the voice had come and saw a pretty, red-headed woman waving at the blonde who held her arm. Lucy waved back before smiling at Kagome and leading her towards the table where the woman sat.

"Hey, Erza," Lucy greeted happily. "Are you the first one here?"

"I was," Erza nodded. "But Natsu and Gray arrived before you as well. They started fighting, so I told them to take it out back."

"Oh man," Lucy whined. "You mean I got here last?"

"Looks that way," Erza told her with a soft laugh. Sliding her gaze over to the woman standing beside Lucy, she asked, "And who is this that you've brought with you?"

"Oh, that's right!" Lucy pulled Kagome to stand in front of her and introduced, "Erza, this is Kagome. She totally saved me from falling in the river on my way here! Kagome, this is Erza Scarlet, one of our guild's strongest members."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kagome," Erza said with a nod in Kagome's direction.

"Yeah, you too," Kagome responded with her best smile. She was a little uncomfortable surrounded by so many people that she didn't know, but she would try to be as polite as possible.

Erza looked to Lucy. "How did you almost fall in the river?" She asked.

"Ah, that," Lucy responded with a light blush of embarrassment. She slid into the booth bench opposite Erza and motioned for Kagome to sit next to her before explaining, "I was walking on the side wall and stepped on a loose stone. It made me lose my balance and I started to fall. Kagome saved me by freezing over part of the river with her ice magic!"

"Ice magic, huh?" Erza mused before looking to Kagome again. She saw that the woman was removing what appeared to be several swords all bound together from the sash at her hip to prop them against the end of the bench where she sat. "Do you belong to a guild, Kagome?"

"No," Kagome answered. "I like to travel a lot, so I never saw the point of being tied down to one specific place."

Erza frowned a little but decided to let the comment slide. "What brought you to Magnolia?" She asked.

Kagome shrugged with a small smile. "The wind, I guess," she answered. "I'm not sure exactly what made me come here or stop here, but I'm glad I did. You have a beautiful city."

Erza and Lucy smiled at Kagome's compliment to their home. Lucy was about to ask what her plans were while she was in town when a door towards the back of the guild slammed open and two familiar voices carried into the room.

"You _didn't_ win, idiot. Eating all that fire has finally started to roast your brain," Gray groused as he and Natsu gave each other light shoves on their way back to their table.

"Whatever!" Natsu argued. "What fight were you part of? I totally kicked your ass!"

"You wanna go again?!" Gray responded as they stopped just before reaching their seats.

"Boys," Erza spoke sternly. That was all it took for both men to clench their fists and jaws but the matter drop. For the moment, anyway.

Natsu looked over to greet Lucy, but he stopped short and blinked when he saw an unfamiliar face sitting next to his friend. "Who are you?" He blurted out.

Lucy immediately got onto the pink-haired man for being rude, but she quieted when Kagome began to laugh. Kagome was a little taken aback by the bluntness of the question, but it strangely enough hadn't come across as rude. It just held such a tone of honest curiosity that Kagome couldn't help the giggles that had bubbled up.

"My name is Kagome," she smiled once her giggles quieted down.

"Kagome," Lucy began. "This is Natsu and Gray," she introduced while pointing to each man in turn.

"Don't forget about me!" A small voice called out as a blue cat climbed onto the table.

"And this is Happy," Lucy continued. Turning to the men of her team, she explained, "Kagome saved me from falling in the river, so I invited her to have dinner with us as a way to say thank you." She paused before adding as an afterthought, "Oh, Gray! Kagome uses Ice Magic too."

Gray gave Kagome a once-over before giving her a quick nod. "Always nice to meet another Ice Mage," he said before sliding into the booth bench next to Erza. He saw Kagome blink rapidly in his direction with a surprised look on her face. "What?" He asked.

"Gray," Lucy hissed. "Put your shirt back on."

Looking down, Gray realized that he was indeed bare-chested. "Damn," he cursed before looking around. "Where'd I put it this time?" He looked up when Erza cleared her throat and saw that she was holding his discarded shirt out to him. Snatching it up quickly, he mumbled, "Thanks."

Lucy sighed as she turned to look at Kagome. "On top of being part of Team Natsu, Gray is also the guild's resident streaker," she explained in a voice that was somewhere between exasperation and resignation.

"Hey!" Gray shouted defensively. He looked to Kagome and tried to explain, "I'm not a streaker. I don't mean to take my clothes off. It just…happens."

Kagome watched the group of friends bicker and tease each other. She'd been traveling with just Kirara for such a long time that she'd almost forgotten what it was like to be part of a tight-knit group like this. For the second time since sitting down at the table, Kagome began to laugh. These people brought back memories of better days that had long since passed. The group turned as a whole to look at her before they gradually began to laugh as well. If there was one thing that any Fairy Tail member was well aware of, it was that one should take every opportunity to laugh. Any why wouldn't they? It always seemed to be infectious.

"You guys seem to be in a good mood tonight," Mirajane said as she approached the table with an empty tray in hand. "Will you all be having your usuals?" She asked as her eyes roamed the faces of her friends. Her eyes widened in surprise however when she caught sight of a new face. "Oh, a newcomer! Are you here to join the guild?"

"No, no, Mira," Lucy waved off with a smile. "I invited her to dinner as thanks for helping me out earlier."

"That's nice," Mirajane smiled. Looking to Kagome again, she asked, "Do you know what you want?"

Kagome, completely at a loss as to what was offered at the guild hall, answered a little unsurely, "Whatever's good?"

Mirajane smiled in understanding and promised, "I'll whip up something special. What about something to drink?"

"Water, please," Kagome requested.

"You got it!" The Take-Over Mage winked with a bright smile. "I'll be back with your drinks in a minute guys."

Lucy suddenly stood in her seat a little before calling after Mirajane, "And an extra plate of fish too, please!" Mirajane waved her hand to acknowledge that she'd heard the request and continued to make her way to the bar.

"Extra fish?!" Happy cried excitedly.

"Not for you," Lucy quickly cut him off. "They're for Kagome's cat, Kirara."

At the mention of her name, Kirara wiggled her way out from underneath Kagome's hair where she'd settled in earlier. She leapt down onto the table and walked over to sit in front of Lucy. With a small mewl, she made the blonde melt all over again.

"You are just too cute!" Lucy cooed as she reached out to scratch under Kirara's chin. Cutting a look in Happy's direction, she deadpanned, "See? This is how cats are supposed to be."

Happy huffed before crossing his short arms across his chest and saying, "Yeah, well at least _I_ can fly."

Kagome hesitated for a moment before her need to defend her friend won out and she said, "So can she, actually."

"Really?!" Lucy gasped as she whipped around to look at Kagome. She was instantly picturing the little cat with fluffy white wings and she couldn't contain the light squeal that made its way up her throat. "Oh my gosh, I think I'm in love!" She enthused as she scooped up Kirara and began to play with her little feet.

"Hey!" Natsu and Happy said in unison before Natsu continued, "Give Happy some love too! He's saved your butt plenty of times."

"Yeah," Lucy admitted without taking her eyes off of her new furry friend. "But _he_ always gives me sass afterwards."

The two continued to bicker back and forth and Kagome was content to watch. She would have said something about how quick Lucy was to scoop up and play with Kirara, a battle seasoned warrior, but she knew that deep down the demon cat loved the attention. Looking up at the redhead across from her, Kagome noticed that Erza's eyes, which had gone quite wide and undeniably shiney, were locked on Kirara in Lucy's arms.

With a small smile, Kagome gently reached over and extracted Kirara from Lucy as she and Natsu continued to argue over Happy's usefulness versus his attitude. Looking pointedly from Kirara to Erza, she set the cat back on the table and watched as she made her way over to the woman who was trying desperately to reign in her girlish love for adorable creatures. Much the way she'd done with Lucy, it only took a little mewl and rubbing her head against Erza's breastplate to win over the S-Class Mage.

Mirajane soon arrived with their drinks and assured them that their dinners would be out soon. Kagome sipped her water and watched the friends some more. She hadn't wanted to come to dinner, but she was gradually becoming glad that she'd accepted the offer.

While Natsu and Lucy were still going at each other and Erza was busy fawning over Kirara, Gray looked over to Kagome and asked, "So what type of Ice Magic do you use?" When he saw her brow furrow at the question, he clarified, "Static or Dynamic?"

The question caught Lucy's attention and she stopped her argument with Natsu to get in on the new conversation. "It's actually a little strange," she stated. "I'd never seen someone use magic like it before."

Kagome suddenly felt very much in the spotlight and her uneasiness from earlier began to return. "I don't really know," she answered unsurely. She really didn't have any idea how to answer their questions. She didn't understand the dynamics behind her magic, only that it worked and how to use it. "I just think about what I want it to do and it happens." As an example, she reached out and lightly touched one finger to the edge of her water glass. Frost slowly covered the glass, but the water inside remained unaffected.

"Whoa," Gray breathed. "Where did you learn that?" He inquired seriously. He was with Lucy on this one. He'd never seen Ice Magic quite like that.

"It really doesn't matter," Kagome tried to deflect. "She died a long time ago.

"Sorry," Lucy said sadly as she placed a comforting hand on the other woman's shoulder. Several of her friends had lost their teachers, and while she couldn't personally relate, she knew that it was likely as hard on Kagome as it had been on them.

"It's fine," Kagome smiled awkwardly. "Like I said, it was a long time ago." There was a quiet pause at the table until she asked, "So what types of magic do all of you use?"

The rest of the dinner went well and everyone soon moved on from Kagome's strange powers to talk of other things. They stayed together for several hours just laughing and sharing stories of past adventures. When it was finally time to go, Kagome stood and stretched before grabbing her three wrapped swords and situating them back into her sash.

Noticing this, Erza asked curiously, "What types of swords are those?"

"Oh," Kagome said as he looked down to the three different handles before looking back up and smiling. "I don't even really know. I can't use them. They're more like heirlooms that I keep with me than anything else."

"So they're very old?" Erza continued to question. She was a little disappointed. She liked examining new swords, but didn't want to intrude if they were possibly antiques.

"_Very_ old," Kagome smiled. "But they're special, so I keep them with me."

Erza nodded and spoke with a gentle smile, "Well it was very nice to meet you Kagome. I hope to see you around the city more before you depart."

"You too, Erza," Kagome responded in kind.

"Do you have somewhere to stay?" Lucy asked as she came up beside Kagome.

Kagome nodded as she said, "Yeah, I'm set up in a little place for while I'm here."

Lucy nodded happily in satisfaction. She didn't want her new friend to have to wander the streets in search of a place to stay.

Kagome turned to say goodnight to Natsu and Gray but found that they'd started up their fight from earlier in the evening. When Lucy offered to walk a few blocks with her, Kagome nodded and began to follow the Celestial Spirit Mage towards the doors.

They were about to step out onto the street when Kagome felt a chill run up the back of her neck. She'd had a similar feeling several times during their meal but had never been able to pinpoint the source. This time, however, when she turned to look behind her, she locked eyes with a small, elderly man sitting on the bartop at the back of the guild. They held each other's gaze for several long moments. He was unblinking and while Kagome was having trouble reading his expression at their distance, she knew that it didn't strike her as a necessarily happy one. Fleetingly, she thought that he looked just a little bit familiar. But the moment was broken when Lucy realised she was lagging behind and reached back to grab her hand and pull her along. Kagome's hand slipped from the door and it slowly fell shut and cut off her view of the man.

'_What was that?'_ She wondered as her heart raced. She did her best to shake the feeling and focus on what Lucy was saying, but it never left her. Even as she was trying to go to sleep later in the night, her mind turned as to where she had seen those dark, serious eyes before.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own neither Fairy Tail nor Inuyasha and make no money from these writings.

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Curse of Eternity

Chapter Two

"Why exactly are we going fishing?" Lucy asked as she, Natsu, and Happy trekked through the East Forest towards the Dragon Slayer's favorite fishing lake.

"I already told ya," Natsu said as he shot his friend a cheery smile. "There aren't any good jobs posted right now. And since we just got back from a job, this is the perfect time to relax. What's more relaxing than fishing?"

"I think you mean "what's more boring?"" Lucy responded under her breath, though she knew that the man beside her likely heard anyway. She'd long ago quit cursing his heightened senses. Either way, Natsu didn't mention the dig and continued on his way merrily. His carefree attitude was something that always managed to rub off on Lucy. It was just hard to pout when he was in such an obviously good mood. "Anyway," Lucy began again. "I was more asking why am _I_ going fishing with you guys?"

"Team bonding?" Natsu suggested with shrug.

"Then where are Gray and Erza?" Lucy countered with a suspicious look. She knew that they were just teasing each other at this point.

"They said they were busy," Natsu answered easily.

Lucy's jaw dropped open. "I was busy too, you know!" She informed him.

"No you weren't," Natsu laughed. "You were working on that same novel that you've been working on since we met. You've been doing that a lot lately. I figured you could use the fresh air!"

"I'm almost done with it," Lucy pouted. It was true that she'd been working on her writing a lot, but she'd been getting a lot of little bursts of inspiration lately. Her muse could be a fickle mistress, and she didn't want to miss out when she was feeling generous.

When they finally arrived at the large lake, Lucy found a soft spot of grass and settled in for a little sunbathing. She watched lazily as Natsu plopped down on the bank, Happy beside him with his own little pole, and cast out his line. She was just about to close her eyes when she saw Natsu's head snap to the right as he lifted his nose to scent the air.

"What are you sniffing at?" She asked curiously as she propped herself up on her elbows.

"There's a smell," he answered vaguely. "It's familiar, but I'm not sure exactly where I know it." He then proceeded to stick the end of his pole into the bank's soft earth and stand up to investigate.

"Hey, wait up," Lucy called as she scrambled to her feet. She knew well enough that there were some creatures living in the forest that she didn't want to be caught alone with.

They didn't walk far along the lake's shore before they came across a small outcropping of rocks. The strange thing was that the rocks were topped with what looked to be clothing. As they drew nearer, Lucy squinted her eyes before they widened in realization. "Those look like Kagome's clothes," she thought aloud.

"That's where I know this scent!" Natsu cried in relief. It had really been bugging him that he couldn't place it. "I wasn't around her long enough to really be able to figure out that this is her. Well, her clothes anyway. Where do you think the rest of her is?" He asked as he glanced around their immediate surroundings.

Lucy would have smacked him if she thought for a second that he was looking for Kagome because she was likely nude, but she'd known her partner long enough to know that he was genuinely more curious as to where she was rather than her state of dress. Just then, she noticed a small amount of movement and looked back to the rocks to see Kirara now perched atop Kagome's clothing.

Eyes lighting up, Lucy cooed, "Hello, Kirara. Do you know where Kagome is?" In response, Kirara looked out to the lake and mewled once. Lucy cocked her head to the side curiously until a shout from Happy pulled her attention away.

"Natsu! You got a bite!" Happy cried from where he'd waited with their poles.

"Yeah!" Natsu cheered before he turned and ran back the way they'd come to pull in his catch.

Lucy shook her head at his antics and was content to wait with Kirara until she and the cat heard a large splash followed by a shrill scream. Turning to run after Natsu and towards the scream, she only vaguely registered that Kirara had hopped off of her perch to follow as well.

Kagome had been swimming-slash-bathing in the lake near her campsite when she felt a small pain in her calf. She hadn't thought too much about it until the small pain turned sharp as something pulled at her leg. Being underwater at the time, gasping in pain had been a poor reaction. She had immediately shot towards the water's surface and came up sputtering with a loud scream of "Oww!" She coughed a little more of the water out of her lungs as she tried to tread water with the pain still in her leg. Reaching down to the source of the pain, her fingers ran over the smooth curve of a metal hook and followed it up to the string attached. She took hold of the line and looked at it in puzzlement. "What the…?" She questioned softly.

As she tried to pull the hook from her abused calf, Kagome followed the line with her eyes and finally caught sight of its origin. There on the bank stood Lucy, Natsu, Happy, and Kirara. Kagome's eyes went wide as her face flushed deeply. It was the first time she'd seen other people in this forest, so she hadn't thought that she would be caught during her bath. With a squeak, she quickly dunked herself back under water to finish unhooking herself before she swam further out in the lake. Satisfied that she was far enough away that the wizards on the lake's shore wouldn't be able to see her body through the clear water, Kagome called out, "Umm…hi guys!"

Lucy blinked as Kagome waved at them meekly from her spot in the water. Suddenly realizing her company, Lucy turned to Natsu and began to shoo him away.

"What? Why do I have to go?" Natsu protested as Lucy pushed him behind some trees.

"Because you're a guy!" She shouted as she tried harder to push him. When he didn't want to move, he was pretty good at digging his heels in. "I'm sure Kagome would like to get out of the lake and get dressed in peace. You and Happy wait over here behind these trees. And if I catch you peeping, you'll regret it!"

"Fine, fine," Natsu pouted as he motioned for Happy to follow him.

"Why do I have to go?" Happy asked. "I just want to catch my lunch."

"Because I said so," Lucy ordered as she pointed in Natsu's direction. "Go on." She watched as Happy pouted but followed after his partner.

Satisfied, Lucy turned back to the lake to see Kagome swimming towards where she'd left her clothes and things. Lucy trotted off in the same direction with Kirara on her heels. By the time she got there, Kagome was just wrapping a towel around herself. '_I don't remember seeing a towel with her stuff before,'_ Lucy thought as she walked closer. "Sorry about that," she said. "Natsu isn't the type of guy to peek, but I told him to stay over there anyway."

"Thanks," Kagome smiled with some pink still staining her cheeks.

Lucy watched in curiosity as Kagome got dressed. What she had previously thought was a one-piece body suit turned out to be two separate articles of clothing; a skin-tight pair of pants and shirt. The shirt closed with little toggles that ran up the side and curved across her chest to the high neck. The pants seemed to just slip on, but Lucy could faintly hear Kagome grumbling about how hard it was to put on the clothes while they tried to cling to her damp skin. She easily shrugged into her white coat-dress and zipped it up before grabbing the red sash and tying it around her hip. Light reflected harshly off of something that had been lying under the sash, and Lucy had to shield her eyes until Kagome moved the item.

No longer blinded, Lucy lowered her hand and saw that Kagome was holding a round, silver mirror that had a thin chain hanging from one point. "Wow, so pretty," she whispered.

Hearing what Lucy had said, Kagome looked up from the mirror and smiled. It had once posed such a danger to her and her friends. but then it had shattered with Kanna's death. She'd managed to retrieve the silver frame, however. Even after she had been forced to return to her time, Miroku and Sango had stored it away for her. Years after her return to the past, she'd found a demon that was able to replace the enchanted glass. With the new glass came a new magic, and the mirror had been slightly repurposed.

"It's pretty useful, too," Kagome said as she waved her hand over the mirror's surface. The glass glowed a soft white, and Kagome placed her folded towel into the depths of the mirror's void. She laughed a little when she saw Lucy's stunned face.

"That's so awesome!" Lucy cheered as she came closer to get a better look at the magical mirror. "Where did you get it? How does it work?"

"It's a special mirror that's very old and one of a kind," Kagome explained. "Inside is an almost infinite void where I can store all kinds of stuff." She handed it over for Lucy to examine. Watching as the blonde turned it over in her hands and waved her own hand over the reflective glass, Kagome continued, "It doesn't work for just anyone, though. I'm the only one left that can use it."

"Aw man, that's too bad," Lucy lamented as she handed the mirror back to Kagome. "Seems like something handy to have."

Kagome nodded as she looped the chain around her sash and fixed it so that the mirror hung at her hip. "It is," she agreed. "It definitely makes traveling a lot easier without having to worry about a bunch of bags."

Kagome's statement reminded Lucy of something, and she turned questioning eyes onto the black-haired woman. "Umm, Kagome…where did you say you were staying?"

Kagome's eyes widened a little at the question before she quickly put on a smile and answered, "I actually don't think I said exactly where it was, did I?"

"No," Lucy agreed. "So where are you staying? And why did you come all the way out here to the lake to swim? There's a beach right behind the guild hall, so this is a much farther walk if you just wanted to swim."

Kagome opened and closed her mouth several times as her mind raced to come up with an excuse for her presence at the lake. She tried to think if she had seen the names of any inns while she'd been in town, but she was drawing a blank. As the silence stretched on, she knew that Lucy would be growing more suspicious.

"Where are you staying, Kagome?" Lucy asked seriously.

Kagome glanced down to Kirara in hopes of receiving some help, but the small cat merely tilted her head and blinked. She wasn't exactly sure what more she'd been expecting.

"You're not really staying in town, are you?" Lucy continued to question in a sad tone.

"Traveling is expensive," Kagome finally spoke with a sigh as she reached over to the rocks to grab her bundle of swords and secure them in her sash. "Whatever money I get from my jobs usually goes to food and occasional transportation. I rarely spend money on inns and lodging." Looking up at Lucy, she smiled softly and said, "I really don't mind camping. I'm used to it."

"Wait," Lucy said as realization dawned on her. "Are you camping in _these_ woods?"

"Mmhmm," Kagome nodded with a hum.

"You can't camp here!" Lucy cried. "There's all sorts of dangerous things in these woods. Where's your camp?"

"It's all in here," Kagome answered as she gave the mirror on her hip a pat. "I never know when I'll be moving on, and I don't like to just leave my camp unguarded."

"Well that makes things easier," Lucy said as she reached out and took hold of Kagome's arm and started walking. Kagome faintly wondered if her entire relationship with Lucy was going to be like that.

"Where are we going?" Kagome asked as she stumbled after the other woman. She turned wide eyes to Kirara as she felt her companion perch on her shoulder.

Lucy looked back over her shoulder and answered, "To Fairy Tail."

It was then that they passed by Natsu and Happy who had settled themselves at the base of a large tree. "Lucy! Kagome! Where are you guys going?" Natsu asked as he pushed himself up to his feet to follow after the girls.

"We're going to the guild hall," Lucy told him in passing. "You guys can stay and fish if you want to, but I'm officially busy now, Natsu."

Natsu and Happy look at each other for a moment before nodding in agreement and following after their friends.

Kagome tried to comb her fingers through her damp hair as they walked. "Lucy, this really isn't necessary," she tried to argue. She ran her thumb across the smooth surface of the jewel at her wrist and wondered if it would be worth it to try to break Lucy's hold. She didn't want to hurt her, though. '_Oh well,'_ Kagome thought. '_I was planning to go into town for some supplies later anyway. I guess it wouldn't hurt to just go along with it for now.'_

The walk into Magnolia didn't take long at the pace Lucy had set for the group. Most of the talking was done by Natsu who was asking why Lucy was dragging Kagome andy why they were going to the guild hall. For Lucy's part, she mostly either ignored Natsu's questions or just brushed them off.

When they finally arrived at the guild, Lucy shoved the doors open and made a beeline for where Makarov sat on the edge of the stage at the back of the guild. She barely noticed when Natsu broke off from their little group to check out the job request board again. "Master!" She called out to him with an excited wave.

Makarov lifted a hand in greeting as Lucy pulled the same young woman she'd brought in several nights earlier behind her. "What can I do for you, child?" He asked with a doting smile. But despite addressing Lucy, his eyes remained trained on Kagome.

Lucy smiled brightly at the man who had become like her grandfather. "I didn't get the chance to introduce Kagome when she was here the other night," she began as she pulled Kagome to stand closer to her side. "Kagome, this is Master Makarov. Master, this is Kagome."

Kagome locked eyes with Makarov. She saw his eyes widen marginally, but she could only narrow hers in concentration. It was the same feeling she'd gotten the night that she'd joined Lucy's team for dinner. There was something vaguely familiar about this man, and try as she might she just couldn't quite place it.

While the two stared each other down, Lucy became a little worried since neither of the usually happy people seemed to be smiling. "Umm…anyway," she continued looking between her friend and guild leader. "Master, doesn't the guild hall have a few hospitality rooms for traveling wizards?"

"We do," Makarov answered carefully as he caught on to where this was going.

Lucy smiled. "Well, I was wondering if I could put Kagome up in one of them," she requested sweetly. "She's a little homeless at the moment."

"Lucy!" Kagome hissed as she quickly turned to look at the slightly taller blonde. "I'm not homeless! I just…" Her words trailed off when she realized that saying the world was her home sounded more than a little cheesy.

Makarov watched the two young women as his brow creased slightly in thought. The hospitality rooms were typically for wizards that they knew and who were on good terms with the guild. But if this woman was who he thought she was…well, he wanted to confirm it for himself. "I suppose that's fine by me," Makarov finally answered at length. Training his dark eyes onto Kagome once more, he added, "But since you're not part of this guild or one that we know, you'll need to work here at the bar with Mira to earn your room and board."

Kagome bit her lip. She really wanted to deny the offer. As nice as everyone in the guild seemed, she really didn't want to get close to them. She didn't want to make friends that she would just have to leave later. She didn't want to deal with the pain. But the temptation was almost too much for her to pass up. She didn't _want_ to get involved with these people, but she yearned to be social by her very nature. And the offer of a roof, warm bed, and meals didn't exactly help to firm her resolve.

Looking between Makarov's expectant look and Lucy's hopeful one, she finally felt her flimsy resolve crumble. "Thank you very much," she said softly as she bowed to the Master of Fairy Tail. Straightening, she continued, "I'm very grateful for your hospitality."

Makarov simply nodded before speaking to Lucy, "Put her up in the room at the end of right hall on the second floor." Turning to speak to Kagome again, he instructed, "You can have today to settle in and start work in the morning."

"Thank you again," Kagome said quietly. Not knowing where she knew this man made her nervous, and she would be glad when she figured out the little mystery.

Kagome followed Lucy up the steps to the second floor and down the designated hallway until they reached the last door. Opening it, the two women stepped inside and Lucy beamed. "It might not be much, but it's better than sleeping in the woods, right?"

Looking around the room, Kagome took stock of the single bed, simple chest of drawers, and small vanity table. There was one window that faced out towards the coast behind the guild and was framed with simple white curtains. "Definitely better than the woods," Kagome agreed with a smile.

Lucy walked over to open the window while Kagome sat on the edge of the bed. "Nobody uses these rooms much," Lucy explained. "It's a little musty in here, so I'm going to let in a little fresh air."

"Sounds good," Kagome answered as she watched Kirara jump off of her shoulder and onto the bed. She pawed around at the bedding before turning a few circles and curling into a little ball to take a nap. "It looks like Kirara doesn't have any complaints," she smiled.

Joining Kagome on the edge of the bed, Lucy looked at Kagome and asked, "Are you okay with staying here? I sort of ambushed you with it without really asking."

"Honestly?" Kagome asked before shrugging slightly. "I have my reservations about it." Upon seeing Lucy's face fall a little, she placed a hand on the other woman's arm and smiled before adding, "But that doesn't mean that I'm not grateful. Thanks, Lucy."

Lucy nodded happily in relief. "Let's get you settled in then!" She said as she clapped her hands together in front of her. "I would actually really like to see how that mirror of yours works again."

Kagome laughed at Lucy's eager expression and found that she just couldn't deny the girl. They spent the rest of the afternoon and part of the evening making Kagome's room a little more comfortable and homey. Clothes were put away in the chest of drawers. Her swords were propped against the small bedside table. A small pillow was acquired specifically for Kirara to sleep on. Lucy even ran to her own home and returned with a few scented candles and a small throw rug. All in all, by the time they were done, Kagome was actually very happy to have a stable place to rest her head.

She eventually had to bid Lucy goodnight, but she didn't quite feel like going back downstairs with the other guild members. Instead she sat on the upper level and just watched them for a while. They were all obviously close. Some still fought and argued, but it all struck Kagome as very sibling-like interactions. '_Family,'_ she thought with a sigh. For her, it was a word heavy with memories and emotion. As choked up as she could get while thinking about it, in the end it was just another one of the many things that she'd long ago accepted for what it was. Her life had been far from normal and she knew that it never would be. The best that she could do was to take each day in stride. It was how she'd lived her life for a very long time. No plans or expectations, just living in whatever the moment happened to be. And it had worked out pretty well so far. '_I just hope it stays that way,'_ she thought as she swept her gaze over the guild hall's first floor again.

The number of wizards at the tables slowly dwindles, and it was only in the early morning hours that the last of them hit the streets to make their ways home. The last person to leave was Mirajane who Kagome had formally met when she brought something for her and Lucy to eat and drink while they were arranging her new room. The white-haired woman waved at her before she turned out the first floor lights and left the guild for the night.

Alone in the quiet building, Kagome slowly made her way downstairs. Curling her fingers up to wrap around the jewel hanging at her wrist, she softly said, "Shippou." There was a soft glow from the jewel that made its way into her hand and disappeared as it made its way up her arm. Flexing the fingers of her right hand a little, she easily called a small ball of blue flame to her palm and used it to light her way around the massive room.

As she explored, Kagome discovered some restrooms, the kitchen, bar, and infirmary on one side of the building. On the other was another set of restrooms, a storage room, a small waiting room (for potential clients, she supposed), and a small library. She looked over the types of jobs listed on the job board. She'd always been curious about the types of jobs that official guilds took. After poking around the stage area a little, her attention finally came back around to the bar.

Around the bar area hung many pictures from around the guild. Kagome could tell that some of the pictures were fairly recent judging by the familiar faces that she recognized from her short time watching the members. Other pictures were obviously older. Kagome looked over each picture carefully before one in particular caught her attention. It appeared to have been taken in front of the Fairy Tail guild hall, but the front looked different from the way it currently looked. In the picture were six people. She carefully took the picture off of the wall and held her right hand closer so that it was fully illuminated. The man closest to the front looked incredibly cocky and wore red, spiked collars around his neck and visible wrist. Behind him were five other people appearing to be around the same age; a delicate woman with pink hair, a short man with a square jaw, a tall man with long eyebrows, a short man with bright blond hair, and a tall handsome man with black hair.

The more she looked at the picture, the more realization began to dawn on her. As her eyes fixed on the blond man in the middle of the group, it suddenly came crashing down on her like a ton of bricks. How had she not realized it sooner? Awareness of the passage of time finally caught up to her and she began doing some quick math. Going by the year she _thought_ it was and the year written in the corner of the picture…she blinked. "Sixty-three years ago," she mumbled to herself. "Now I don't feel so bad for not remembering."

"Yes, it was taken quite a while ago, wasn't it?" A voice asked from behind her.

Kagome screamed and nearly dropped the framed picture but mere fumbled with it for a moment before gripping it tightly once more. Her flame had gone out as she tried not to drop the picture, though. Turning around quickly, she was able to make out the outline of a short, elderly man. She didn't need to be able to fully see him to know who it was.

"I'm sorry," Kagome said with a nervous smile. "I thought everyone was gone for the night."

Makarov chuckled deeply. "That doesn't make you snooping around in the dark look any better," he told her as he hopped up to sit on a bar stool and lit a nearby lantern. The soft glow lit up their immediate area, and the two stared at each other.

"I guess it doesn't," Kagome responded softly with an apologetic smile. When Makarov held his hand out for the picture, she readily handed it over before coming to sit with him, leaving one stool between them.

Things were quiet between them for several long moments and Kagome began to fidget. She started slightly when Makarov finally spoke again. "I couldn't believe it when I first saw you here with Lucy, Natsu, and the rest," he admitted. "At first I thought you were your granddaughter. But you're not, are you?"

"No," Kagome answered. She knew who he was now and knew that he knew who she was. There was no use in trying to hide it.

Makarov looked up at the young woman sitting with him. Roughly sixty-three years and she hadn't aged a day. Locking eyes with her, he realized that for the first time since seeing her in his guild hall, she had dropped all of the smiles and masks that she used when normally speaking with other people. Physically, she was young and beautiful, and he'd be lying if he said that he hadn't checked her out at some point. But when he looked in her eyes, he could see all of the years laced through the blue of her irises. They were the eyes of someone far older, wiser, and more experienced with the world. They held immeasurable depths of understanding and compassion and heartache. Looking at her, Makarov felt like an inexperienced child for the first time in a very long time.

"The last time I saw you," he began after another moment, "you were using lightning magic. Now you use ice magic _and_ fire magic? That's an impressive resume."

Kagome shrugged before calling blue flames to engulf her right hand. They flickered and licked at her skin but didn't burn. "My resume?" She laughed. "You don't know the half of it." Dispelling the flames with a flick of her wrist, she propped her elbow on the bartop and leaned her chin into her upturned palm. "So how's the old group?" She asked looking pointedly at the picture currently in his hands.

Long ago, in a town far from Magnolia, Kagome had come across a group of injured wizards. There were apparently aspects of their latest job that had been left out of the description. While they'd been able to complete the job, they hadn't gotten out unscathed. She had stopped to help them tend to their wounds and even ran off a small group of bandits that tried to attack the group while they were still recovering. That was when she had first met Makarov and his team. After spending a few days with them to make sure that they healed up well enough to travel, they'd parted ways, and she hadn't seen or heard about him since.

"They're well, for the most part," Makarov answered with a slow nod. "The only exception is Rob who passed on some years ago while defending a very young Erza."

Kagome frowned. "I'm sorry," she said. She knew how loss went, and while she knew that nothing she said would make it easier, she felt the need to say something.

"I hear you were living in the East Forest," Makarov stated while trying to be conversational in an attempt to put off the coming question for a little longer.

"I didn't know what it was called," Kagome explained. "But I was camped out in the woods just outside of town.

"You didn't happen to see Porlyusica out there, did you?" He asked.

"Porlyusica lives out there?" Kagome asked curiously as the face of the young, pink-haired woman flashed in her memory.

Makarov hummed as he nodded. "After she left the guild, she became something of a recluse. Now she only has anything to do with us if someone is very injured or sick." He paused for a moment before adding, "And even then, she's not very happy about it."

Kagome laughed and smiled at the older man. She'd spent a lot of her life actively avoiding the same areas for years at a time. She didn't want to run into people who might recognize her from when they were younger. But now that it had finally happened, she supposed it wasn't so bad. Of course, that may have had everything to do with the man and not the situation.

"So," Makarov said at length. "Are you going to tell me?"

"Tell you what?" Kagome asked feigning innocence and ignorance all at once.

"You know what," he told her as he leveled her with the same look he usually gave his kids when he wanted them to admit that they'd done something. But Kagome seemed completely unaffected, and he supposed that it likely only worked on those that were younger than him. "Are you going to tell me the story of why you haven't aged a day in sixty-three years?" He asked outright.

Sighing, Kagome rubbed a hand across her forehead. "I don't know," she hedged. "You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you. And it's a really long story."

Makarov hopped off of his stool and walked around behind the bar. He grabbed a bottle of alcohol and two glasses before making his way back to his seat and hopping up again. Setting the glasses on the bar and pouring the drinks, he said, "We have time." He was just about to take the first sip of his drink when he paused and looked up at Kagome with a wide smile. "Hey, do that ice trick you did with the glass the other night."

Kagome rolled her eyes. She usually avoided using her powers as such, but she supposed that she could make an exception this one time. Curling her fingers up to once more wrap around the jewel at her wrist, she said, "Touran." A light slowly made itself known as it worked its way down her arm, into her hand, and finally into the jewel. Immediately after, another light traveled the way that the previous had just come. Reaching out, Kagome touched the rim of Makarov's glass causing it to frost over. She did the same to her glass before picking it up. She'd once been such a lightweight, and while she didn't drink often, her alcohol tolerance had gone up considerably over the years.

"I'm going to like having you around," Makarov mused with a smile.

"Don't get used to that," Kagome warned.

Makarov flapped a hand at her as he took a drink from his glass before setting it down. He rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Now for that story," he tried to wheedle again.

Kagome narrowed her eyes at him as she said, "You have to swear that it won't leave this little meeting."

"On my honor as Fairy Tail Master," Makarov swore with a nod.

"Okay," Kagome sighed before taking a long drink from her glass to prepare herself. "I was born in a city that doesn't exist anymore. It was called Tokyo. I grew up there for fifteen years. Then, on my fifteenth birthday, everything went crazy." She proceeded to tell him her tale of time travel and demons and curses and love and loss and friendship. It was several hours later that she ended the first portion of her tale with, "I wasn't able to return to the past for three years. When I finally did, it was like the perfect ending to my own fairytale."

"But it didn't end there, I'm guessing," Makarov theorized as he refilled their glasses. He'd lost count of how many refills they'd each gotten, but the bottle was almost empty.

"No," Kagome drawled out as she scrubbed her hands over her tired face. "No, it didn't. Years later, part two of this story started," she explained. "Humans were learning advanced forms of magic from demons. It wouldn't have been a big deal if they hadn't expanded on what they were taught and then used that knowledge to start hunting the demons." Kagome looked into her glass as she got lost in the past for a moment before continuing, "The heads of the more powerful demon tribes and a couple of demon lords had a meeting with this really, really, I mean _really_ old tree demon. They then decided to come find little old me."

Makarov chuckled a little when Kagome gestured exaggeratedly to her chest. He knew that they were both starting to get a little tipsy, but it really just made the story more fun.

"So they tell me what they want to do," Kagome began to explain. "I still have this shell of a jewel. It used to be this infinite black void on the inside, filled with all these souls and awful things, but it was just empty at that point. They come to me with this spell, right? This spell would take a little part of my soul and anchor it into the jewel to sort of wake it up again." She took a minute to look at the small bauble hanging from her wrist and show it to Makarov. "From there, the inside is basically this blank canvas. They want to fill it with their collective knowledge and memories to copy the landscape of this world. _Then_, and this part really freaked me out when they first explained it to me, they want to perform these blood rituals. The ritual transfers their soul, everything they are, into this new tiny world, and they give up their physical form in this world."

"Did it work?" Makarov asked curiously.

"Oh yeah," Kagome answered. "But that wasn't the end of it either! They're betting everything they have on this new world; a world where they'll be safe from being hunted to extinction, a world they can govern however they want. So they have to make sure that it's safe out here in this world. That's where I came in…again. To make the world more stable, four of them needed to tie themselves to the jewel and to me. So in enters more weird blood rituals. Now me and these four demons swap a little blood, get the jewel a little bloody, and in they go. Only now, if I need a little extra help defending myself, and by extension the jewel, I can call one of their souls into that missing bit of mine. Bam! I get some of the powers they had when they were alive in this world."

"So you can call on the souls of four different demons?" Makarov prodded for more information. It turned out that Kagome was chatty after she had a few.

"And then some," Kagome answered easily. "So after this new world is all set up, I start traveling all over the place. If a demon was a good person, wouldn't try to start a war or coup or anything like that, I offered them a new home. Of course, this offer was extended to all of the demons that I already knew personally. A lot of them wanted to do the ritual to bond their soul to mine so that they could help protect this world too. I guess it also didn't hurt to know that as long as we're all stuck together, none of us are going to die. So, I'm bonded to…let's see," she mumbled as she began ticking off names on her fingers. "Counting the original four, I'm bonded with eleven of my old friends." After a moment, Kagome frowned sadly and added, "No, it's twelve. But there are a couple that I don't call on."

"What types of magics does that give you?" Makarov asked. "Besides lightning, ice, and fire, I mean."

"Lots and lots," Kagome answered as she took another sip from her glass. She sighed as she laid her head down on the bartop. "Living forever is hard."

"I can only imagine," Makarov agreed as he raised his glass to her. He couldn't imagine living forever, and he really didn't want to. "So do you mind if I ask how old you are?"

"I don't even know anymore," Kagome whined. "After things started getting really magic-y and the first guilds and councils started popping up, they started a new timeline thing. I barely know what year it is now, much less what year it should be according to the old way."

Makarov watched Kagome as she ran a fingertip around the rim of her glass causing the frost to make swirling patterns. That was about the time that he noticed the first rays of sunlight touching the wall. "The kids will start pouring in here soon," he announced. Grabbing the glass away from Kagome, he hopped off of his stool again and took their drinks to the kitchen. When he came back, he stood in front of her with his arms folded in front of him as he said, "If I were you I'd drink some water and get a little sleep."

Kagome merely looked at him questioningly and he elaborated, "You start work here today, remember?"

Kagome's jaw dropped. "You kept me up all night and you're still going to make me work?!" She yelled. "See if I tell you anymore stories!"

Laughing as he walked away to get things set up for the day, Makarov called over his shoulder, "We talked all night. Are you sure you have any stories left?"

"Are you kidding?" She asked with a laugh. "I have lots more stories! And I'm _old_. Old people always have the _best_ stories."


End file.
